Idols Die Hard
by SimplyOverthinking
Summary: "Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them"- George Elliot. A story about the struggles of a Percy-less life in the backlash of the giant battle.
1. Chapter 1

NOTE: This is entirely fictional. It is not meant to symbolize or represent a belief for these creatures.

Disclaimer: concept, premise, and characters are all property of Rick Riordan.

The annoying tang of tempered bronze notching into the gold sword shaped through the air once again, syncing melodiously with the grit of Percy's teeth as Riptide draped across the gold broadsword.

Porphyrion, the giant king, menaced above, eyes glistening flared steel in the moonlight. His etched snarl burned into Percy, and his gaze was jagged as our weary, battle-battered protagonist weakly phased to his feet.

They had clashed for hours now. Jason, the actual counterpart to slay the monster, had untimely demised as the lumbering dandelion broadsword whipped him to two. Percy continually derived from this, the instance on instant replay in his mind, giving him vengeance, an extreme charge of justification to destroy this creature.

He saw his frozen comrade, blond locks spotted with scarlet, bending to his knees as his head drooped low, a slump razing his posture. The blazing laugh as Porphyrion slaughtered him.

Percy's fingers tightened around the marred, stitched leather handle of his weapon. For Jason.

The giant rumbled closer, ichor making a dotted trail, as Percy lifted his leaden arm to heft Riptide to an acceptable fighting stance. He couldn't think, his mind a bogged, waterlogged mess of thoughts. Remember, he thought, in a successful attempt to sharpen his mind, Jason.

"Jason..." It was more of a primal growl, but it was discernible enough to Porphyrion, who picked up upon the screwed neck and clamped jaw and grinned.

"Are you angry, child? Do you miss Jason?"

The giant gave a grimy smile.

"Because he's still here... Just in two parts."

Percy could feel the blood trickling from his hands as his nails flashed into his palms.

"Shut UP!" It was a guttural, raw scream, and it served as a war cry as riptide flashed toward Porphyrion, who stepped back to counter.

The child, depraved of sanity from the loss of his friend, had used a brash swing instead of the usual skilled blow, and Porphyrion capitalized heavily as his gold blade slammed into the Celestial Bronze, brunting Riptide to skitter pathetically away from Percy's hand.

The backlash of the blow, a rancid ringing and loss of sword, fluttered heavily onto Percy as he stumbled away.

Riptide would re-transport to his pocket, but the expanse of time before that happened... Well, Percy either would have to battle entirely with his hands, or pull some... Biological tricks.

The air turned sour as the water was suckled from it, and two jets of foaming water blasted at Porphyrion, and they smashed into his mottled skin, causing him to stagger onto his feet.

Using the water to propel himself upward to fly, he hovered over the teetered giant, the snap in his face overly distinct. He hovered there for a moment, this looming feeling, the craving for the death of the giant a desperate, brazen creature, and he felt it absorb him, transform him, and-

And he was seared out of the air in a brilliant flash.

Charred and burnt, Percy ripped off his flaming shirt, tense muscles tasting the cold edge of the night air.

"YOU WANT TO PLAY WITH POWERS?"

Another brilliant strike of light hurtled towards Percy, and it singed his rib cage before incinerating a background tree. Feeling the tug to respond, he jettisoned a statement of ice, a sharp, cool knife, and felt the beast inside him purr as it sunk into Porphyrion's rib.

The elation faded away, however, as black cut away at his vision and he teetered backwards as the lash of the side effects of his frayed side erupted within, coupled with the tinge of failure as the Porphyrion's wound quickly rewound itself into none-existence.

_I will not fall._

_I will not die until he is dead._

_I will not die until his blood soaks the earth that heals him._

Statically raising his hands, he clenched them, and a hurricane proceeded to explode out of his clenched fists.

The typhoon roughed away at Porphyrion, bashing away at him, and Percy almost felt a sense of... Victory as the swathed, colossal monster of a hurricane blasted into the giant king.

"Stop..."

It was a dismal cry, a faint plea, and Percy _relished_ it, a tight grin tugging at his face.

"STOP!"

The golden blade sliced through, the water parting and splattering away as Porphyrion slashed away the hurricane. They both were visibly worn, blood tainting each's clothes, sticking to their clothes it as close as natural pigment.

They breathed heavily, yet in sync, some sort of repulsive harmony.

Riptide returned to Percy's pocket.

And then he charged, uncapping the unassuming ballpoint pen, and he dashed forward, the sword ready...

He dodged arces of electricity, the adrenaline blossoming through his veins...

He reached Porphyrion, shooting stabs of water that ripped into the giant...

Slashed and hacked and slashed and hacked and slashed and hacked and slashed and hacked

And then there was a light.

It was unfathomably bright, and it charred Percy's vision and he stumbled back.

Suddenly voltage burned through his veins, and he flew, _flying_ around Porphyrion, shooting a world of water that annihilated the giant, and there were screams, blood -his own as the light began to claw at his vision, ripping it apart and then-

And then the beast was satisfied, and he fell, a triumphant elation as he stared at the corpse of his enemy.

The light poured through his vision. He felt _alive_.

And then there only was light.

_"I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared to meet me is another matter." -Winston Churchill_

Good gosh! Really had to grind this piece out, extreme apologies for any drop or fluctuations in writing quality, as well as typos. (Typed this on and iPad, and well... Auto-correct.) If you could share your thoughts via reviews or pm that would be greatly appreciated.

(I am dreadful at updating, but the next chapter will come out! ...eventually.)


	2. Chapter 2(Grover)

NOTE: This is entirely fictitious. It is not meant to represent or symbolize a belief for these creatures.

Disclaimer: Characters, setting, franchise are all Rick Riordan's.

Chapter 2

0025 hours Post

Grover sat on the porch of the Big House, thigh drumming the ground cheerfully. The seven were finally ready to release and recuperate back into the public; they had been recovering away to seal the wounds that had been opened. Of course, the first thought on Grover's mind was the intent to see Percy again. He had been away from his best friend for ages now, and the thought of returning back to the state of friendship where they once stood was enough to make him forget about the monumentally difficult task of rebuilding and restructuring the countless ruinated parks and forests that he had been assigned.

He strolled through the horseshoe of cabins before making it to Cabin 3, only to witness it deserted with lights out. He cocked an eyebrow in the air, leaving it suspended there with a deep _hmmm_ in his throat. _Of course_, Grover's mind reasoned, _he's probably at Annabeth's cabin_. _Those two have been through a lot over the past year. _So, giving a small purse of his lips despite himself, he walked away.

0048 hours post

Grover sat outside of Percy's cabin, tapping his foot while curving his mouth in a disappointed curve. He had been waiting for ten minutes now, giving a dismal _harrumph _every now and then. Finally, he firmly decided to talk to him up in the Athena cabin, and strode over there.

Inside the cabin was dark, shadows looming through the entire room, emboldening everything in harsh black.

"Annabeth?"

He paused.

"Annabeth?"

"What?"

He jumped, seeing her for the first time post-war a jolt.

Bags hung loose from her eyes, which were bloodshot and teary. Her face was sunken, and her frame was malnourished to the extreme. Her arms flung loose at her sides.

"W-where's Percy?"

Annabeth paused, and then gave a soft sound. It took Grover an embarrassing moment to realize it was a cry.

"Gone."

"Gone? Gone where?"

Nothing.

"Annabeth.

"Annabeth!"

"Yes?"

"Where? Where did Percy go?"

Her blond hair looked eerie in the lamplight as she struggled to compose herself.

"Elysium. The Underworld."

"Wait... Why? Did he have another quest? Or..."

A wild sense of dread began to circulate through him, but he quelled it. No way.

"He's dead." It was a depressed whisper.

_What_?

Grover reeled fighting for breath as he almost tipped onto the ground.

_Nononononononono_

_Percy?_

The sharp sound of the cabin breaking caused Grover's head to snap toward Annabeth in confusion until he realized his knuckles were bloody.

"Percy is... Dead?"

"Yes."

Another smash.

_Nononononononono_

_"WHAT?"_

_He is not dead._

_"IS THIS A JOKE TO YOU?"_

_He is not dead_

_He is not dead_

_He is not dead_

_"WHERE IS PERCY JACKSON?"_

_He is not dead he is not dead_

_He is not dead he is not dead_

_HE IS NOT DEAD_

His knuckles were bloody, flushing scarlet and with a fierce burn he realized Annabeth was sobbing.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Annie, I just-"

His hands collapsed, loose at his sides and he just felt _tired_.

And then he screamed right there with her, bawling into the night.

_"The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them." -Louis McMaster Bujold_

**Alright****_! _****There is chapter 2! I severely apologize for the length, it was (I believe) the last one :( -BUT the next chapter I will try to make greater than 2k(fingers crossed), the next chapter should hopefully be easier to get more details in as it is a more major character(in terms of relations to Percy)... Annabeth! She, just like Grover, will be extreme OOC(Out of Character), as the death of a loved one does change you so. Lots of hoarding and obsessive collecting. Feel free to share your thoughts via review and I would love some feedback!**

******_(_****As always, I immensely apologize for any typos or miscellaneous errors. Auto correct multiplied by my ludicrously horrid spelling makes ****_quite_**** the combination)**


End file.
